The Bahrain National Museums hosts the 3rd Museums in Arabia Conference
11- 13 October 2017
In line with its “Our Year of Archaeology” cultural programming, the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities supports and hosts the third iteration of the Museums in Arabia series organised by Dr. Sarina Wakefield, Director, Museums in Arabia and Adjunct Faculty, College of Arts and Creative Enterprises, Zayed University, UAE and Prof. Dr. Laila Prager, University of Hamburg (Germany); currently Senior Research Fellow at NYU Abu Dhabi, UAE, at the Bahrain National Museum. On October 11-13, a host of museum professionals and academic experts will convene in Manama to discuss emerging key issues in museum practice with a focus on representation and identity, artistic practice, and space and place in Museums in the Arabian Gulf.
“We are delighted to be working with Bahrain National Museum and the Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities to deliver the 2017 edition of Museums in Arabia. The conference series is an important platform for museums practitioners, academics and emerging scholars to meet and discuss themes and issues relating to the museums and heritage landscape in the Gulf. We are extremely grateful to the Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities for their generous support for the 2017 edition of Museums in Arabia without which these conversations would not possible.” Dr. Sarina Wakefield, Director, Museums in Arabia and Adjunct Lecturer, College of Arts & Creative Enterprises and Prof. Dr. Laila Prager, University of Hamburg (Germany); currently Senior Research Fellow at NYU Abu Dhabi, UAE
“The 2017 edition of Museums in Arabia is a valuable addition to the line-up of events, conferences and exhibits hosted by the Bahrain National Museum this year. The papers presented throughout the three days of the conference are a testament to the diverse scholarly contributions by researchers in the region on the development of museology in the Arabian Peninsula. We look forward to sharing with visiting participants the experience of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities in the field of museums and visitor centres.” Khalifa Al Khalifa, Director of Museums, Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities
The 2017 iteration of the Museums in Arabia series aims to engage more specifically with how artistic and aesthetic practices and productions (in the broadest sense) are employed within museums, galleries, heritage events, and urban planning in the Arabian Peninsula. By exploring the relationship(s) between artistic practices and productions in museums, galleries and heritage institutions this conference seeks to broaden the conversation around the significance of this area for societal and economical changes, trans-(nationalism), subjectivities, etc. and to identify future avenues for related research. Additionally, Museums in Arabia provides a unique opportunity to foster multidisciplinary dialogue (between scholars, practitioners, and interested persons) around the theory and practice of museum, gallery and heritage activities in the region.
It is worth mentioning that the conference’s program on the 11th of October will include the opening of the exhibition “The Seals: Hallmark of Dilmun and its Hidden Art” which draws on the permanent collection of the Bahrain National Museum in addition to highlights from the National Museum of Kuwait and illustrates an exceptional selection of seals spanning the 3rd and 2nd millennia BCE. The display examines the use, techniques, diversity and splendour of the Dilmun seals.